In the spring of 1500, at the apex of the Renaissance, a papal secretary to the Borgia Pope, Alexander VI, wrote that "All the world is in Rome." Though no one knew it at the time, this included a young scholar by the name of Nicolaus Copernicus who would one day change the world.
One of the greatest polymaths of his or any age - linguist, lawyer,... more...

The Finnish mathematician and astronomer Anders Johan Lexell (1740-1784) was a long-time close collaborator as well as the academic successor of Leonhard Euler at the Imperial Academy of Sciences in Saint Petersburg. Lexell was initially invited by Euler from his native town of Abo (Turku) in Finland to Saint Petersburg to assist in the mathematical... more...

This book introduces the theory of stellar atmospheres. Almost everything we know about stars is by analysis of the radiation coming from their atmospheres. Several aspects of astrophysics require accurate atmospheric parameters and abundances. Spectroscopy is one of the most powerful tools at an astronomer?s disposal, allowing the determination of... more...

Analytical Chemistry in Space presents an analysis of the chemical constitution of space, particularly the particles in the solar wind, of the planetary atmospheres, and the surfaces of the moon and planets. Topics range from space engineering considerations to solar system atmospheres and recovered extraterrestrial materials. Mass spectroscopy in... more...

Galileo?s Thinking Hand represents a fundamental revision of the earlier work Galileo, the Artist published in 2007. The sections incorrectly identifying a forgery as the work of Galileo have been corrected. The work sheds light on the artistic aspects of Galileo?s research life, drawing on a greatly expanded documentational basis.... more...

Jupiter's ice moon Europa is widely regarded as the most likely place to find extraterrestrial life. This book tells the engaging story of Europa, the oceanic moon. It features a large number of stunning images of the ocean moon's surface, clearly displaying the spectacular crack patterns, extensive rifts and ridges, and refrozen pools of exposed... more...

Aims to provide an annual astronomy review suitable for the popular science level reader. This book covers major astronomical news on topics beyond the Solar System and place them in the context of the longer term goals that astronomers and astrophysicists around the world are aiming for. more...

All modern books on Einstein emphasize the genius of his relativity theory and the corresponding corrections and extensions of the ancient space?time concept. However, Einstein?s opposition to the use of probability in the laws of nature and particularly in the laws of quantum mechanics is criticized and often portrayed as outdated.
The author... more...

For twenty-five years following the Voyager mission, scientists speculated about Saturn's largest moon, a mysterious orb clouded in orange haze. Finally, in 2005, the Cassini-Huygens probe successfully parachuted down through Titan's atmosphere, all the while transmitting images and data. In the early 1980s, when the two Voyager spacecraft skimmed... more...

áThe publication in 1632 of Galileo?s Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems, Ptolemaic and Copernican ?marked a crucial moment in the ?scientific revolution? and helped Galileo become the ?father of modern science?. The Dialogue ?contains Galileo?s mature synthesis of astronomy, physics, and methodology, and a critical confirmation of Copernicus?s... more...